Casa Loma: the courage to dream

Though a not-so-good student of history in high school, as a traveler history has me enthralled. To see what a person yearns for, fights for, gathers, wages wars for, amassing wealth and territories, the opulence and grandeur of an era gone by...all these hold a great fascination to me.
Yet, a visit to Casa Loma palace bowled me over for a different reason altogether. Princes, kings, queens, lords living in opulence is well-established in history but for a common man like you and me living in a palace is a dream and that is what Sir Henry Pellatt aimed for. He built and lived in a palace, the grandeur of which is beyond the wildest dreams of a common man.
Pellatt rose from a very humble origins as a stock broker. He made fortunes through his ambitious hydro-electric and railway projects. His larger-than-life persona sought to make a mark in history in the form of this grand castle in the North of Toronto built on the top of a hill in 1914.
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Casa Loma on a foggy day

The very ambitious plan for the castle consisted of 98 rooms, 30 bathrooms, magnificent fireplaces, 3 bowling alleys, a swimming pool, a rifle range and huge grounds all around for walking. The best architect was hired to plan the construction of the palace, begun in 1911, with the help of 300 men at a total cost of  3.5 million dollars.The best of mahogany, oak, walnut, teak and marble from across the world used for the interiors added another 1.5 million dollars to the cost.
The Hunting Lodge and the stables right across Casa Loma were constructed first. It also housed the servants' quarters. It is said that each of the stables had the name of the horse embellished in gold.

The Hunting Lodge and servants' quarters

When the city built a road cutting across this property, Pellatt had a long 800-ft tunnel connecting the palace to the Hunting Lodge dug beneath the street. This long passage is said to have helped Pellatt protect himself from cold winters while walking from the palace to the stables.
The ground floor of the palace consisted of a palatial main hall at the entrance, a large library with a collection of 10000 books, the dining and serving areas, Pellatt's study and the impressive conservatory.
An example of Pellatt's ambitious plan is his collection of  50 various telephone instruments in the castle, accounting for more than half the telephones in Toronto, with its own exchange system.

One of the 50 phones in the palace

Pellatt had the grand Napoleon's desk replicated in his study. There were two secret passage ways from each side of the fireplace, one led to his bedroom and another to the basement. The movement across floors was also assisted  with the help of lifts that Pallett had installed...again an unheard of luxury in those days. Strangely there was no staircase from the central hall to the first floor.

Pellatt's study

The Oak room was one of the most formal rooms with grand interiors where Pellatt entertained important guests. Off the Oak Room are the huge Smoking Room and the Billiards Room.

The Oak Room

Towards the end of the main floor, there was a conservatory with the best floral arrangements. Steamed water helped maintain normal temperatures during harsh winters.
Between the huge library and the conservatory was the equally spacious dining room. A passage from the kitchen led to the Serving Room where all dishes were assembled before serving. Attached was a small hideaway where the orchestra would play in the background
The first floor consisted of palatial bedrooms of Henry Pellatt and Lady Pellatt. Only the rich could afford a bedroom each for the husband and wife in those days.The bedrooms showcased exhibits brought from all over the world.
Apart from the many bedrooms for guests, he had a special bedroom, the Windsor Room, for the Queen. Ambitious as he was, he hoped that one day he would boast of a Royal visit.

In anticipation of a Royal visit

The fireplace in Windsor room

Despite a temporary recess during World War I, the construction resumed in time to enable Pellatt and his wife to move into the near-completed palace in 1914.
The post-war recession witnessed Pellatt's fast-depleting reserves. He owned 1.7 million dollars to the Home Bank which collapsed in 1923. Adding to his woes, the property tax increased from $600 a year to $1000  a month! In addition, mounting fuel costs for heating the palace, the cost of maintaining the 40 servants, the lavishly-held parties which had the who's who of those times...all these led to Pellatt's bankruptcy.
The couple had to move out of the palace in 1924. Lady Pellatt died shortly after of a heart attack
Most of the assets in the palace were auctioned to repay debts.The artifacts lovingly gathered from all over the world were given away at throw-away prices: "A Persian rug for the cost of a doormat." Pellatt is said to move out with just three van full of belongings.
The grandiose plans for the palace were never completed and the whole of the second floor lies vacant. Once abandoned, the palace lay itself wide open to heavy vandalization. Not knowing what to do with the palace, the city thought of demolishing this 'appalling' structure at a point of time.
It is now restored and is open to public view. It is also used for conducting events and film shootings. In the now Gift Shop, you can see plans for the three bowling alleys.The grandly planned swimming pool houses the theater which runs a documentary film on Henry Pellatt.

Pellatt's story has me awed due to his sheer guts and gumption in building this palace. Common people would never dream of such ostentation but he dared to dream beyond the possible, to live in this imposing structure even if it was for nine years only. He shrugged away the label of being mad for his seemingly absurd plans. He had one son who in turn isn't survived by a progeny.
He never regained that opulence but yes, some redemption for Sir Henry Pellatt as people turned out in thousands to bear witness to his funeral procession held on a cold winter day in March, 1939.

(Most of what I have written comes from the audio tour provided during my visit to the palace and looking up several articles on the internet.)

Kensington Market, Toronto

One of the sojourns while here in Toronto was to the Kensington Market.
It is surely one of the most vibrant and diverse places in Toronto. It can be called the 'khau gali' of Toronto but offering much more than just food.
On entering, the Market looks deceptively small. You'd be dismayed by the few options and hoping that there are more inside. And were there more?!
Kensington Market is bounded by Nassau Street, Spadina Avenue, College Street and Dundas Street on its four sides. It abounds with restaurants, eateries and patios offering cuisines of many countries....Moroccan, Tex-Mex, Middle Eastern, Italian, Latin American, Chinese, Indian... and even three vegetarian restaurants! There are many beer & wine shops spread across the Market.
On a leisurely trip, we sauntered along, planning to first assess the market and then decide on what to have. Soon we realized that viewing and remembering the selection was not as easy as we thought. So, we started with a soup in one of the vegetarian eateries. Continuing on our journey, we next had a cheese garlic bread. Priced at $ 3.50, it was a foot long .Warm from the oven, it exuded a heavenly baked taste.

Cheese garlic bread, Kensington Market

After  a 45 minute walk, we went to an Asian eatery where we ordered a salad. The salad, though exorbitantly priced at $11, was a splendid example of how fresh, tasty and crunchy a salad can be. Apart from the many vegetables, it also came with sesame seeds, and the crunch of Ramen noodles.

Asian Salad, Kensington Market

Further on our journey, we discovered an alley that encouraged graffiti. Among the many graffiti on the streets was this one that took our breath away.

Graffiti, Kensington Market

In front of the spectacular wall was this car in which grass and plants were allowed to grow. From what I discovered later, the graffiti on the car is changed every once in a while.

Graffiti, Kensington Market

The meandering walk took us to the adjoining China Town. We entered the street and saw the many Chinese eateries and clothes. Not really in the mood to explore further, we turned back to the Market and walked into a bakery to have churros priced at $1.25. After another 30-minute walk, we entered our last eatery for the day, a gelato shop which offered two scoops for $5. The variety of gelatos and yogurts were amazing.
We walked eagerly into a restaurant named, 'Vegetarian Restaurant' and discovered to our great amusement that their 'vegetarian' concept included the sea food as well! Well, new things to be learned from new places.
For the wine and meat lovers, the  Kensington Market offers mind-blowing options.The market also abounds with the freshest vegetables and fruits that range from the most common to the most unconventional choices.
There were other shops that dealt with clothes, spices, natural products, incenses, tattoos etc.
Towards evening, we viewed a small band of three singing and playing on their instrument, catering to the requests of the audience.

Music, Kensington Market

On Sunday evenings, we were told, that the street remains closed to vehicles and entertaining acts are performed.
Two things I'd suggest: Go with an empty stomach and a full pocket. The place is not inexpensive.

Street Food: Somajiguda

Friendships from school last forever. When my school friend came down to Hyderabad, I went to meet her at Somajiguda where she had put up.
We caught up with all those memories, our town, teachers, picnics, games and what not. In the evening, we wanted to go out to get some hot samosas and have it with hot chai. This craving grew with the darkening skies. But then copious rain had us imprisoned at home.We waited and waited. The more we waited, the stronger was the craving.We were told that some superb samosas were available at a small shop opposite BP petrol pump. As soon as we saw the rain slow down a bit, we ran out like liberated school kids. The streets were jam-packed with people returning from office. Looked like everyone was waiting for the rain to stop. The slight drizzle didn't deter us as we plodded on through the heavy traffic towards that hot samosa.
We had walked about 150 meters or so when the local people and the police stopped us from going further. They said a building was on fire because of a short circuit. We hurriedly stepped back, disappointed. But sometimes the wrong train takes you to the right destination, I guess :) As we were returning and just crossed a building called Fortune, which I learned housed the ADP, we saw a vendor with a 3x3 ft table selling momos. This small table had a banner reading Kathmandu Momos. He had both veg and chicken momos. When I ordered for a plate of veg momos, I was served them hot, despite the downpour earlier. The momos were simply superb. The skin was thin, the vegetables finely shredded, well cooked and slightly juicy as well. According to me, the perfect momos...served with an accompanying red chutney which I felt could be spicier but then it wasn't bland either. When I praised his momos, he replied, "try the chicken momos, they are tastier". Om Prakash, the owner, has been running this small stall for the last two and a half years. He serves 6 momos to a plate at Rs 40 a plate for chicken and Rs 30 a plate for the veg ones. The momos are small in size. He sets up the stall between 4 and 10 pm everyday. Got his mobile number to share with all interested. He can be reached on 08341149588. The landmark is the Yashoda hospital. This stall is diagonally opposite to it. By far, the best momos in town.

Veg Momos

After having these superbly succulent momos, we persisted in our pursuit of samosas. We finally found one Irani kind of a cafe opposite Mom & Me, beside Maa Hospital. We were told that there would be a fifteen minute wait. As we turned, we saw a golgappawala just outside the cafe! We ordered for three plates between the two of us and found to our surprise that they were super crisp and made with potato filling. Reminded me of my Orissa-wala golgappa: the taste and not the size though.We were so so happy at the second discovery of the day.
Once done we turned our attention back to the samosas getting made.We watched in fascination as the samosa dough was rolled into long oval shapes, piled and cut into half, Each of these halves picked up, stuffed with the potato mixture and tossed into the waiting hot oil. As we waited impatiently for the samosas to get fried, we found behind us a paan wala. 'Why not?" we thought and ordered two Meenakshi paans as well. While waiting for the paans to get made, I found the cigarette lighter dangling before my face. I tried to brush it away but found it refused to go."Cigarettes?" I asked my friend with a mischievous glint in the eye. The old man preparing the paans broke into a smile as he heard us.
We paid for the samosas after they got done. My friend was used to paying 3-5 rupees for samosas and when she heard these were priced at 8 Rs, she was amazed. I was equally amazed to see their size. Each one was the size of two samosas put together. Huge!
We carried back those piping hot samosas, had it with home-prepared khatta chutney, followed by garam chai. Eating one filled me up.The taste wasn't exactly great but then just the joy of eating a hot samosa is indescribable! Topped this experience with the well-made Paan.
For those 5 hours we spent together, we were a couple of giggling college girls having our day out. 

Sikkim: tastes, tips and takeaways

Some tips for the tourist, not found in a tour itinerary:

1. When you go on a tour, the norm in India is that the tour operator stops at some restaurant for lunch-break. In Sikkim, you find no such 'proper' place for lunch. You only find some small eateries selling local food.
The local food normally found is noodles, thukpas and momos.  We had a dig at all three. The Momos were quite tasty and my family liked them particularly because of the really spicy chutneys served with them. The chutneys vary from place to place and so do the momos' size. But inside, it is the same stuffing of finely chopped cabbage and carrot.
By default, the thukpa was rejected by family as it was a very, very watered down version of Chowmein and was quite bland in taste. The Chowmein, we found, was ok, though not yummy.

The Thukpa

Momos with the spicy onion-green chilli Chutney

 
2. It is also important that we do not waste much time in eating at a restaurant. One, there aren't many on your way to the tourist sights. Two, you cannot afford to spend about an hour on ordering and eating food as it is dark by 5 pm itself and you need to complete all the sight seeing before that time.

3. Another strange thing is the abundance of banana trees on all the mountain slopes. Surprising to find these trees one normally associates with the tropical plains and not the colder temperate regions. You are, therefore, assured of finding banana fruit wherever you go. The abundance does not convert to inexpensive though.

4. Day times are ok but nights are cold. So you need some warm clothes. October was pleasant and just one sweater was enough for me. Nathula is much colder and you need to properly protect yourself.

5. Lower oxygen levels at Nathula could be a deterrent for BP patients.

6. As mentioned in my earlier post, a visit to MG Road in Gangtok is a must-visit place, not just for its walk, but also for its many eateries (and pubs too).

7. Sikkim, being a mountainous terrain, you get some very good exercise as you keep climbing and getting down slopes all the time. It looks easy for the locals as they do it all the time but it is not the same for many of us whose only exercise is to move our fingers across the keyboard. Even to go to eating food at the MG Road, we had to climb up a steep flight of 50-60 steps. To do this, I had to stop at least 3-4 times. Going here may not be a great idea for the elderly.

8.  A pleasant surprise was to find many restaurants claiming 'pure vegetarian' food. I found this to be a relief as I thought the North-East India is known for its meat eating habits. Later, I came to know that it is because of the prevalent Buddhist religion which forbids consumption of meat and second, to support the vegetarian tourists who visit the monasteries here.

9. Rabdentse  Palace Ruins at Pelling can be skipped. One, it is almost razed to the ground. Two, you need to walk 2 kms up and down the mountain and it is not worth it! I say this because the climb is definitely quite tough for people not used to trekking. And if you have to go, then start at at least 2:30 pm and not later as you cannot see anything in the dark if you reach late. It took me (a person not used to any physical exercise) almost 45 minutes one way. It was the ancient capital of Sikkim and may be of historical value for the interested.

10. All the monasteries are worth visiting because of the peaceful aura.

11. Particularity intriguing are the 'Mani Khorlo' or the prayer wheel that we found almost everywhere...mostly near monasteries. We are supposed to rotate them clockwise as we say our silent prayers. We found two giant ones in Sikkim...about 10 feet high! Here's the ones that we found on our way to Rumtek Monastery:

Mani Khorlo: On our way to Rumtek Monastery

If I'd stay back, I am sure, with all the physical exercises going up and down the mountains and through breathing the pure mountain air, I'd return much thinner and healthier.

The story of Shirin Farhad, Tivoli Theater and KFC

Been to see "Shirin Farhad ki tho nikal padi" yesterday at Tivoli Theatre.
Shirin Farhad is a love story between two people who are 40+. It is a heart-warming film and portrays the joy that being in love brings to two people irrespective of their age. The movie, simple in concept and an uncomplicated narration, has you smiling throughout as you relate to the joy of the couple in a new-found love. Its subtle comic moments too have you smiling.
The movie endorses the fact that there is no 'right' age for falling in love and that love brings happiness at whatever age it happens. Boman Irani is known for his acting abilities but it is Farah Khan who is a surprise element in the movie. She is such a natural in front of the camera that you wonder where she has been all these years. Her acting career should have begun 25 years back! The chemistry, evident between the pair adds to the credibility.
This movie comes as a refreshing story as the romance isn't mushy with fluttering eyelashes, balloons, chocolates et al. It is so wonderfully sane and practical. Even when Shirin wants to hug Farhad, we don't find the invitation of come-hither looks but a simple, "idhar aa, let's hug"  :)
Yes, like all love stories this movie too has the lead pair suffer a brief separation but they are,of course, back together.
The blessing while watching this film is that there are is no sleaze which makes you squirm. If you go to the film after watching those lingerie selling promos and expect more of the same, you'd be disappointed. Those scenes in the movie are just limited to the ones shown in the promos.
A simple heart-warming love story. A 3.5/5 for me.

About Tivoli theater: The pain of traveling over long distances on the congested roads of Hyderabad has me experimenting with single screen cinemas closer home these days.  The charm of multiplexes are worn off due to the distance and the time that it takes to reach the theaters. Increase in the movie ticket rates by 50% and the equally exorbitant parking tickets are also instrumental in people clustering to the single screens. I ventured to the Tivoli which is closer to my home than all other multiplexes and also showing the film at the most convenient time for me. I had been on Wednesday but I was told that they had run out of tickets. It seems the 2 pm matinee is shown in their smaller screen of 50 people capacity. I bought a ticket for the next day. Was slightly skeptic of going to this theater as I knew that this was one of the older theaters of Secunderabad. But to my surprise, the small theater with 7 seats per row not only had very decent seating but also good acoustics. The screen was proportionately small and I blessed the ticketing guy in my mind who had me have the privilege of getting the middle seat. Because of the small capacity, the tickets for this show run out fast. ( I came to know later that this was a new theater added to the older one and hence plush).
Now coming to the minuses, the washrooms have excellent infrastructure but pathetic maintenance. We women had to rush out with our noses closed.
The snack counter, almost beside the entrance to the washroom, is also a put off as the rates on display equal or surpass those at the multiplexes. 
Another pathetic act was that of the parking guys. If you happen to be new to the theater (as I was), you have to be there at least 15 minutes before the movie starts despite holding a valid ticket. Because that is the time required for you to search for the parking on your own. Only when you make the wrong moves and are struggling to get out, will someone tell you that you aren't supposed to park there. You are completely left to fend for yourself and if you go just five minutes before the show begins, you are sure to miss some of it. It's not as if they are there to help you but that you are at their mercy as you wait for them to come over to issue the parking ticket
An important update:  Went to see the 11.30 am show of Barfi,on another screen in the new theater, a 100+ seater, and for the three hours, there was NO AC. The hall was fully booked and being enclosed for three hours with no air-conditioning was greatly stifling. Half the pleasure of watching such a great movie was taken away. After about half hour into the movie, someone had the sense to open the exit doors opposite each other which brought some respite as there was some cross-ventilation. After 10+ years of living in Hyderabad, I dared to visit Tivoli and I have now sworn off the theater forever. Will rather wait and hope for a decent multiplex experience in the upcoming Sangeet. Until then, it is back to traveling all over the town for a pleasant watching experience. Tivoli, never again!

About KFC: Happened to go over to KFC close by at Karkhana after the movie. I used to visit this place when I worked at the office at Karkhana location and would drop by at end of the day. Though I have eaten at many KFC outlets since then, this remains my favorite as I recollect great taste of the burgers there. But I found that the quality has deteriorated. I try to avoid fast food centers usually, as all that I am piling on are lot of empty calories. After about 3 months, I visited one again and ordered for their Zinger meal. The guy who took the order (sameer) asked me whether it is single cheese or double cheese. Double cheese, eh? No way, I thought and said give me single. When I was given the bill I saw that I was charged separately for the cheese. I asked him and was told that the extra price was for the cheese that I ordered!!!!!!! This I find is the tactics of many a fast-food center. They add something to your meal and make it seem as though it were a part of the order and it is only later you realize that it is an addition. Though not unfamiliar with these tactics, I was surprised this time because earlier when I had ordered from the same place, I was never asked the question. I wasn't in the mood to argue. I think this is how they get away with this kind of charging as they reckon that there will be very few who are going to argue and will quietly accept.
The order itself was pathetic in taste. The cheese slice turned out to be an unwanted and unnecessary addition to the burger. The burger itself has shrunk in size. The fries didn't look as though freshly fried. There is nothing more tasteless than having cold french fries. And maybe due to the cheese, there was a mild burnt smell to the burger. Earlier the same order would stuff me to the gills but yesterday, I was left with the feeling that I could have some more. The succulent taste is missing and the burger felt quite dry to taste. As it is I don't frequent these fast food outlets and I have to be really desperate to go to one again.

Towards the cooler climes

I looked with trepidation towards a trip to Kerala the last week for a celebration in the family at Trivandrum.
The notorious humid weather of Kerala didn't really encourage me to pack my Kanjeevarams. Packed some  heavy-duty cotton stuff instead. Two days at Trivandrum saw me having a nondescript meal at the South Park on the first day; the second day when we had the actual function at home, we were in for a surprise traditional Kerala food which was truly awesome with its four chutneys, kootus, butter milk preparations and the awesome payasams.
After a packed 2 days' schedule, we left for Munnar. As I stepped into our hotel, I was dismayed to see the absence of an AC in the room. Later, we realized that the temperature of around 23° didn't really warrant one. On top of this, rain the next day brought down the temperature by several more degrees. So, there I was enjoying a pleasant weather while back home Hyderabad was blistering under the scorching sun .

Early morning view from our room at Munnar

View from Munnar Dam

We drank in all the greenery that we could and headed to Tekkady. All the breath-taking scenery in the world seems to be showering its blessing on the Munnar-Tekkady route. Greenery, greenery and more greenery! A day at Tekkady, which again had quite a decent weather, and then back to Cochin.

Tea plantations on Munnar-Tekkady route

 Got addicted to the 'Kutten chai' in the four days there. Don't know whether it is supposed to mean 'cutting chai'. It is a weak black tea preparation and was great to taste. Not to be had at the restaurants but at the little road side outlets (for Rs. 5/-).
Brought home the exotic spices, teas, the famous kerala eats like chips, halwas, and the amla preparations.
Only four days away at the cool hill sides, but was it worth it?!

Hyderabad Book Fair, December 2011

I must admit that for a self confessed book lover, I haven't been regularly visiting the book fairs in Hyderabad. A lack of awareness of when they are held also kept me from visiting them as often as I would like to. Well, yesterday I happened to visit the book fair at People's Plaza.
I walked to the place from the Necklace Road MMTS station, about a kilometer and half away. Taking the walk was a good idea as not only did it give the body the much needed physical exercise but also did away with the hassles of finding a parking slot for the vehicle.
Just outside the entrance, you have a few food stalls selling the 'chaat' stuff, coffee & tea. I passed over the temptation to have some tea as I was more eager to get lost in the vast ocean of joy that awaited me inside. The meager Rs. 5 charged towards the entrance ticket, is, I guess, more to keep a count of the number of visitors rather than actually charging you any.
The stalls were set up in a vast area. I haven't kept an exact count of the number of stalls but I did notice stalls numbered 170 onwards. My guess is that there were about 180 of them in all. There was tea and drinking water but no food stalls inside the premises.
What does the fair have to offer for the book lovers?

• Management books (most of them more popularly known as personality development or self help books) .
• Religious, spiritual books and CDs: (there was also the Nitayananda's stall, lol! )
• Books for the students: the regular sciences, GRE, TOEFL etc.
• Some of them had the kids' stuff like CDs/DVDs playing the rhymes, cartoons etc.
• A few stalls selling stationary
• For people like me who dig fiction, there definitely was much to offer as nearly 40 % of the stalls had the stuff.

Second hand books abounded with many of the popular titles being offered for as less as 50/-. The new ones had discounts of about 10%. But later I realized that we could bargain further there. A word of caution for the people who already are equipped with a list of new books that they want to buy. Don't! Flipkart offers it at much cheaper rates than the fair does. Second, do check the print inside before buying. Some of them are Indian reprints and the quality of print is poor. You get the original version in flipkart.

But for the second-hand stuff, if you are lucky, you land up with some really good picks. You just need to have the patience to delve through. The true book lover can get lost in this world as the look, touch and feel of the pages in his hands can give a heady feeling.

We have the Numaish exhibition in Hyderabad every year. The crowds jostling for space, the long ques for tickets had put me off. To compare, the crowds here are no where as thick as the ones at Numaish, yet what's redeeming is that there were crowds. There were kids, of course and grown ups mostly 30 years upwards. There were very few of people in their 20s buying the real stuff (that is apart from the study material). I almost felt like hugging one such young girl who was seriously browsing through the novels...real novels and not just some chick-lits. There is still hope for the continuing of the culture of book reading, I thought.
There was also quite a handful of Telugu literature.Though I don't have an in-depth knowledge of Telugu literature, I recognized some reputed names in the old world of Telugu fiction/ poetry by Sri Sri, Chalam, Yendamuri, Ranganaykamma... Telugu children's books were there but I wonder how many of our kids have even heard of the Budugu books. I heard some of the kids clamoring for 'Cinderella' books though. I also found few of the famous English novels translated into Telugu.There were a couple of stalls selling Hindi literature too.
I felt quite heady in this environment which was breathing and living books. The sight of so many books, the sound of books being discussed...

I made a very conservative purchase of two books : Ken Follet: 'A Place called freedom' and James Patterson: 'Honeymoon' Safe buys both...known authors, bestsellers.
'Roots' by Alex Haley has been my favorite and I had read it when in my college. Since then I had wanted to possess the book. When I saw this book, all discretion set aside, I went ahead to buy the book for 300/- ( I found out later, available cheaper in flipkart). The fourth book was a book which had the feel of a junk-read. 'Oh Shit, Not Again!' By Mandar Kokate: unknown author, unknown book...what you buy as 'what- the- heck' kind of novelette. Will find out when I read but for Rs.130 for a new book, it is ok, I guess!
Though far from being satiated, nevertheless, the possession of new books in hand is invigorating.
The foodie refuses to remain quelled even in a blog about books. Well, so here's to that foodie:
I visited Water Front at the end of my experience. As I stepped in, it was so dark that I almost couldn't see my way around. As I was one of the earlier ones to arrive, I got a place by the lake-view which I admit, was awesome. The ambiance of the place, the view, the prices in the menu, everything was superlative! Though I had to read the menu by my mobile torch, lol! The vegetarian curries start at Rs. 250. There is a section of Thai and also cocktails and mock tails (160/-)
As I was in a bit of hurry to catch my train back, I didn't order for anything exotic or elaborate. Also the fact that I was alone and would not be able to down the regular order of North Indian fare without getting some of it packed. Ordered a simple Hakka noodle ( 253/- with taxes) which was good in taste, decent fill per plate. May reserve this one to visit with the family for a leisurely visit later as I have read good reviews of this.

Pondicherry trip

As written in my earlier post, I managed go to Pondy the Saturday before last. I almost didn't make it. As the weekdays were filled with the assigned office work, the temptation to remain between sheets and spend a lazy weekend was quite overwhelming. But then, I firmly told myself to stop being lazy and make use of my time there which if I didn't, I am sure I'd end up regretting once I returned.

Well, to ensure I make the trip, I decided to book my bus tickets before hand. Tried the redbus.in but most of the seats were taken. So I booked through 'Make my Trip.' The bus was to start at 7 am and the return bus at 6.30 pm. The AC Volvo bus cost me Rs. 440 each way. Now that the tickets were booked, there was no escape. I got up at the early hour and waited for the bus at Adyar Bakery at Thiruvanmanyur and was pleasantly surprised to find it come on dot. A very comfortable journey of about 3+ hours with a break thrown in at a road-side dhaba.

A major minus for me was that I didn't get any time to research and plan my trip like I normally do. I went like any other tourist who has heard of Pondicherry and wants to see it.

Well, I was told that tourist information was available at the Pondy bus stand. My bus was headed beyond Pondi and therefore was asked to alight at Indira Gandhi Statue. I assumed that the bus stand would just be a stone's throw away and kept walking. Its only when I reached the destination was I to know that the distance was actually 1.5 kms. Walking that distance under the hot sun wasn't easy. On reaching the bus stand, I was told to contact counter no: 11 where I'd get tourist information.The information I got was, "Contact the tourism office on the beach. They will tell you."  Having walked this distance, this time I wanted to make sure where this beach was. I was told it is 10 mins from the bus stand. As usual, the hawk-like auto drivers were at the bus stand volunteering to drop me at my destination for  anything between 50 to 80 rupees. I crossed the over bridge and took a share auto for 3 rupees! This took me close to Vinayagar Temple, one of my destination spots. Crossing this, you have another tourist spot, the Aurobindo Ashram about 150 meters away. 600 meters from there is the tourism office. For me, it meant a close 2.5 kms walk that day. If you travel like me, ignorant about the site-seeing there, the best option would be to take a direct auto to the tourism office .Though I was thoroughly tired by the time I reached , what was redeeming was that the people there were quite helpful. They gave me a map and told me where to go and how to reach. They have two tours: a full-day tour from 9.45 am to 5.45 pm and half day tour from 1.30 to 6 pm. Reasonably priced at 250 and 150 rupees respectively for an AC bus service, this should suffice for the tourist.

What I could not savor is the French culture & cuisine that I had so looked forward to. The other tourists who had been here told me that there is not much to see in Pondy and the 7 hours I planned to spend there was enough. What I realize now is that Pondy is not the typical tourist place where you mark out a few places to visit. It is a way of life that one needs to experience through a well-planned visit to Auroville, experience the french cuisine, know the french heritage buildings housing the various administrative blocks and much more. On the way back from Auroville, I found a row of Pizza outlets. They looked very different than the ones that one normally visits, a few of them promising wood-burn pizza.

Walking around the Auroville is an experience by itself. The Matri Mandir, a large golden globe in the center of the International village, is restricted to few visitors who have booked the hours for meditation at least 2-3 days before. The booking happens only between 2-4 pm everyday. The meditation is reserved for 60 visitors per day. Without these restrictions, huge crowds would surely hamper the silent meditation that one seeks.I am sure spending time in that the serene atmosphere will be quite recuperative to the mind and soul.

What  I also missed was the shopping there. I didn't have any thing particular in mind but was told later about  the tax free shopping available there :(

I got to watch the Aurobindo Ashram beach from far as it is a rocky beach and doesn't really allow one to go dip your feet in the rolling waves. But I did have more than my share of water when I went to the beach at the Auroville and was literally swept off my feet as a HUGE wave swallowed me with along with the jhola on my shoulder which contained my belongings, the tickets, money, cards, phone everything!
But here I am, survived to tell my tale.

Chennai Diary III

Day 6 saw a lazy Saturday. The WHOLE day stretched in front of me with an option to do whatever I want to…this prospect was too tempting to not exploit. Express Avenue at Royapettah was what I had narrowed down my choice to. Before starting I had searched the internet for some info on Chennai bus routes and was absolutely stunned at the wealth of information  I found.

ABOUT CHENNAI BUSES:

The frequency of the buses is amazing. There seems to be one every minute. To find the bus that you need, just type the source and destination and an amazing number of options throw up!
The Google map has the option of showing both the car and bus routes. When you click on the bus routes, a tiny figure of a person shows where you need to walk to catch the bus. Or how many meters you need to walk to your destination after getting down from the bus. The bus conductors have started conversing in Hindi, even if broken. They may/may not come up to you for tickets. The money gets passed from hand to hand till it reaches the conductor and the ticket gets passed back in a similar way. The Hyderabadis can bring their 5 rupee notes and 50p. coins...all are accepted here. Bus tickets are sold for odd amounts like Rs.4.50 and the the change of fifty paise religiously returned!
Despite being loaded with all the bus numbers, I still asked around to confirm whether I was headed the right direction. And guess what?! The one to guide me was not a Tamilian / Indian but a British lady! She advised me on how much to pay the auto driver after I get down from the bus to head to Express Avenue.

ABOUT EXPRESS AVENUE:

Hmm. I heard that this is the biggest mall in Chennai. I chose to visit a mall because I was told that the mall was different as it also housed some authentic Tamil stuff. Towards that end, I was disappointed as it had all the stores that any other mall has. Yet, there are no regrets at having visited this mall. The sheer size of the mall stuns you. There are three floors of clothes, accessories, cosmetics, shoes etc., plus the basement with the Big Bazaar that I didn’t have the time to visit. I felt that each floor had a circumference of 2 kilometers. It took me about 5 hours to only window shop through each of them.
I briefly spent some time at the Life Style and saw the hip crowd there. What is amazing to find is that there were the traditional sari-clad, jasmine wearing women and also the t-shirt-jeans kind too. So, though I wasn’t really dressed well that day, I didn’t feel out of place. The younger lot seemed to be modernly attired, the older ones more traditional. However modernly dressed, none of the women wore any cleavage–revealing clothes. I’d find more such girls amongst the hip crowds in Hyderabad.
What happens to husbands here is the same as happens to them in every mall in any city. The poor guy acts as a hanger for all the clothes his wife has selected and keeps passing them one by one to her in the trial room as she keeps stepping out and asking for his opinion (but then goes on to buy what she thinks is the right one).
When I reached EA, I headed straight for the multiplex and bought a movie ticket. This done, I started looking around the fourth floor which contained all the food joints. You are issued a food card after you pay whatever amount you decide to. And then you use it like an ATM card to keep paying for your food. If any amount is left at the end of the day, you are refunded.
I first decided to make a round of the entire floor to check out what was on offer. Almost every kind of food in its about 20+ outlets found menus from Italian to South Indian, Arabic, Malaysian, Chaats, KFC and many more. After having completed the tour of the place, I opted for Kobe

FOOD AT KOBE:

Kobe, I had read even before going to Express Avenue, was a place of Sizzlers. As I wanted to try something different, I opted for it. Kobe is a separate restaurant and doesn’t accept the food card issued by EA.
When seated, I saw that about 70% of the items on menu were non-vegetarian ones. Undaunted by the limited choice or the price, I stuck to my choice. The menu mainly consisted of sizzlers, pizzas, and mock tails. I selected one vegetable sizzler. It was priced 290 and I wondered whether one snack is worth 290/-. After a wait of less than 10 minutes, the waiter rushed towards me with a sizzling, steaming oval shaped plate which was about 12 inches long. Looking at the quantity, I was petrified. I just can’t eat all that stuff, I thought. I wasn’t sure of where to start…whether I’d get a plate to serve myself smaller portions of that gigantic offer or directly dig into it? I realized that the plate was quite shallow and placed on a half inch thick, burnt wooden base. The dish was made up of a portion of rice surrounded by shredded and par-boiled vegetables like cabbage, peas, carrots, French fries, baby corn and a flat potato cutlet. Over all this was poured Schezwan sauce. Between pepper/garlic/Schezwan sauces, I opted for Schezwan sauce though I was warned it would be spicy. What I realized by now was that this sizzler is not a snack but the main course itself. The dish was kept piping hot throughout the meal though the sizzling subsided after a while. It had a tangy taste to it, not very spicy with a delectable mix of rice, sauces and vegetables. I enjoyed every bite of this awesome dish which nearly burnt my tongue. This dish is a must-try.

                                Image from Kobe website

THE MOVIE: ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DUBARA

Getting a ticket for a Saturday movie is unthinkable in Hyderabad. Yet here, I was pleasantly surprised to find a seat for the evening show. Well, I read reviews in favor of and against the movie. I trust Rajeev Masand’s reviews. A 3 ½ /5 from him means that the movie is a sure-watch. There also are reviews which speak to the contrary belittling it as a Karan Joharesque movie with its unrealistic, feel-good, made-for-the-NRI-crowd kind of movie.I went with an open mind to watch this movie. Story apart, the script and execution was slick. Not a moment of boredom as you are taken through a journey of three 30-something bachelors reviving their younger days and finding a new meaning to life at the end of this one all-boys trip to Spain. You will not be disappointed when you watch this. But beware, Katrina Kaif and her non-acting still jar!

ON THE CHENNAI STREETS:

A few of my observations on my first outing in Chennai. Many women adorn their hair with jasmine garlands. This is a disappearing feature back in Hyderabad…unless women go for a wedding or some such traditional occasion. Most of them have good hair though. I also see many dark complexioned people around. In some imperceptible ways, I sense a respect for women ...like a man won’t sit beside a woman in the bus, even if the seat is vacant. I also find fewer lungis and more trousers this time. The roads are almost empty by 11 pm. In fact, when I was going back from EA, I found I was the lone woman on the bus home. A bit scary! What I don’t find is the fidayeen-kind of the ubiquitous women found everywhere in India these days, their heads all wrapped up and only the slits for the eyes showing. When I tried wrapping my head here, I realized why they don’t do that. I nearly suffocated in the sweat inside my scarf! I found one or two on the streets, though I am sure they too will give up soon.
I didn’t find any of those wide, pleasure-to-drive roads like we have in some posh locales in Hyderabad. Yet, the roads here have far fewer potholes than what we find back home. Many of the main roads too aren’t really wide.
There are almost no paan shops… as a result, also no red marks on the roads unlike in Hyderabad where we literally have painted the town red.
It is sweaty and clammy even in July whereas back in Hyderabad, this season sees you shiver with cold, especially after heavy showers. Here, shower or no, you always sweat and one can’t imagine life without an air-conditioner.
More posts to come when I explore Chennai more.

Yaksha, Basil and buffet experience in Hyderabad restaurants

I hadn't eaten out for a long time. As I was thinking of which new restaurant to try, I came across Yaksha. I wondered why the name Yaksha (a demi-god) for a restaurant. Nevertheless, after reading the favorable reviews, I decided to visit the place. The distance of about 13 kms to Banjara Hills takes about three quarters of an hour in the usual Hyderabad traffic conditions. But that day, every traffic light waved me green as they seemed to understand the urgency of my hunger pangs and urged me to zoom by, thus allowing me to cover the distance in 25  minutes flat!

As I stepped inside Yaksha, I stood there uncertain as to where to go. Like a cinema hall, it was too dark inside. Also, the place seemed so tiny! There was no welcoming usher either. In fact, I had to draw the attention of one of the ladies who was passing by and asked to be seated. She waved me to the nearest table which was filled with some cutlery. I sat down a tad hesitantly and waited and waited. After a full 5 minutes, the same lady comes by and points in the general direction of the buffet spread and asks me to help myself. The usual expectation during a buffet is that the starter and soup be served at one’s table. But here that was not to be. I got up trying to find a path through the narrow spaces between the compactly placed tables careful not to stumble and trip in the darkness. In all this darkness, I spotted a bright countenance. When I peered closely, I found it belonged to an ex-colleague of mine. One of the few times I appreciate a fair complexion. Thank god, something is visible in the darkness! After the initial ‘Hi’ s, she told me that they were here as a group of about 15 people and were not just lamenting about the quality of food but rather the lack of it, I mean the food itself. The restaurant perhaps never had a huge number of 15 visitors in one go!

I made a quick u-turn wondering where to go to quench those quickening hunger pangs. A la' liberty was a well tried restaurant and one that I am truly fond of but I have been there thrice already. So I quickly decided on Basil in the immediate neighborhood. Basil is no stranger to the Hyderabadi. I had also visited the place around 3-4 years ago once and had carried no particularly favorable memories of the place. But then I thought about giving it a try once again.

As I stepped into the restaurant it was a relief to find it well- lit. The glass windows were used to let in natural light. Basil also comforts me as it is a pure vegetarian restaurant. Even as I stepped in, the usher was at the side and seated me at once.

Well, coming to the meal…let me tell you that I am a small eater and most of the restaurants make money on buffets through people like me. Now, why do I state this? I actually had a second helping of all dishes on offer! And if your mouth waters at the prospect of quality food, let me correct that assumption. I am not talking of quality but quantity here. Even as you think of allowing your eye to rove over the buffet spread, the journey ends almost where it begins. Two salads…unable to distinguish between the two diced vegetables placed in two different plates was all that was in the department of salads…and two starters to begin with.

When I talk of starters and salads, my mind recalls Barbeque Nation and Liberty. And that’s what I call a hearty beginning to a hearty meal. This offer was like the ragged clothes of a beggar. But to be fair, the starters of corn and boiled and barbequed potato were quite decent. For the first time, in a buffet I could actually finish off one full naan as there were only two curries and one dal to go with it. And only two sweets. The whole thing comes to Rs. 234 with taxes. What the restaurants must realize is that a discerning diner is willing to pay more for some unique taste/dish on offer in the meal. What else would make me bother to travel a distance of 26 kms for a meal? I can as well have it in any place nearby. The food itself was not unpalatable but then…

One of the risks that you run into when visiting a restaurant on a working day is to find groups of women having their kitty parties. I found one such group here too. Most of the women pass themselves off as upper middle class not by virtue of some self-achievement but the achievements of their husbands…which rather translates to the flaunting of the wealth amassed by their husbands. Many of them do not look well-educated themselves. I feel annoyed by the loud chatter and the louder guffaws that emanate from such groups. Culture and education seem not to even touch these women—all of them decked as though attending some party—sari, jewelry, flowers et al Why such uncharitable remarks you wonder. This was my experience there:

When I sit for any meal at a restaurant I always ask for tissues, beside the napkin provided. I did the same here too. I was seated beside the buffet table and one of the women while passing by my table, simply pulls out the tissues provided to me. I couldn’t help stare with disbelief at this uncouth behavior. She realized perhaps and asks customarily…”you want these?” and goes away without waiting for a reply with the bunch clutched in her hand. Luckily, there is a private room provided for such groups and the noise is contained within. It was at the end of about twenty minutes that the door opens and two of the women step out to have the dessert. Too lazy to go back, they stand there eating the sweets. Two more women join them, then more and then all of the 15 or so people all standing there right beside my table talking loudly and eating more noisily. One of the women finished her ice cream and had the audacity to just deposit the cup right beside me on my table as it was within her reach before she went for a second round of desserts. Fortunately, the alert waiter quickly removed the dirty bowl and spoon from my table. Respect for such groups dipped further seeing such behavior.

To sum up this post, this is not my usual review of a restaurant but rather a comment on the cost cutting measures adopted by many of the restaurants in Hyderabad these days wherein they keep the price the same year after year but the items on the menu in the buffet are fast depleting thus disappointing the regular patron. Case in point: ‘Haveli’ in Madhapur.

(Added later: Went to a gathering arranged at the banquet hall of Basil in the second week of Jan 2012. The food is the same as it was in the buffet. I had hoped it might be of better quality as it was catering to a group of about a 100 people)

Tere bin...bin tere and Bikanerwala

After a long time, I stepped out of house. Determined to go for full throttle entertainment—good lunch, a movie…the works. I have been working from home and the little human interaction I have was missing too. I skipped breakfast in the hope of stuffing myself with a good buffet lunch.
Some instinct made me grab my helmet at the last minute. I stepped out into the cool environment outside and drove on my scooty. Just as I neared the Mettuguda junction, a light drizzle began. I hoped it remained only that…a drizzle. But this increased steadily so much that by the time I was at St Ann’s, an huge downpour started. I started driving cautiously afraid of skidding in the heavy downpour. I was in two minds whether to go ahead or to take a u-turn and go to some restaurant close by. But I didn’t want nature to have the upper hand. I kept going wondering when the rain will cease…whether the rain gives up first or do I?
By this time my clothes were dripping wet and stuck to the body. Luckily the helmet protected my head from getting wet. I kept on and finally it was at the third flyover on SP road that the rain Gods relented, the roads were dry and that’s when I picked up speed and went as fast as I could. It was 1:45 pm and I was determined to make it to both—a grand lunch and the movie. I reached Bikanerwala at around 1:52 pm and looked hungrily forward to the temptingly sumptuous spread ahead. As soon as I was seated, I was served cold water. I drank thirstily but thought, ‘damn it, who needs cold water when I was already shivering with cold!', but I was thirsty. Luckily for me, a hot hot tomato shorba was served. Shorba is a diluted version of our regular tomato soup with some tadka in it. I was more than glad to have this hot liquid pass down my throat. Then two starters were served—the bajji/bhaaji of brinjal and cauliflower which was quite mediocre in taste and a dish of paneer and capsicum sautéed and served with a teeny teeny portion of mint chutney. The paneer starter was ok in taste. The chutney vanished in no time and also the soup. I asked for more of each. I waited and waited and the starters got over and still no sign of soup or chutney. By this time, the urge to have more soup went away. I looked around to see what else was there. There was the spread of salads. First the Cole slaw— this was shredded cabbage with minuscule portions of diced red and green capsicum tossed in a lot of mayonnaise. This preparation was then placed in ice. The taste would have been enhanced if there were more of the capsicum bits and not the few pieces here and there. Also the cabbage wasn’t really chopped finely…so the end effect was that you were eating a cabbage swathed in mayonnaise. I also served myself some tossed salad made of different vegetables. This was more or less blandish and watery. Then there was the sprouted moong, which I gave a miss, dhoklas and fried dhoklas. The very spongy and soft dhoklas were great with the right mix of sour, salt and sweet taste. The fried dhokla was new to me and I bit into it with great anticipation. But found that the dhoklas had merely been tossed in the khatta meetha chutney …too sweet for me. Raw carrots, vinegared onions and thinly shredded onions were also there. 
After the salad plate, next was the main course. There were three curries: malai makai mutter, a panner curry and the baby corn capsicum. All three were good in taste. The malai methi mutter had a creamy white base, a smooth taste to it and an overpowering feel of butter. The gravy in the paneer dish was quite tasty but because of the huge chunks of paneer, the taste of the gravy doesn’t really come through. The baby corn capsicum masala was just good with no outstanding taste. Next, I eyed the much spoken of and the much anticipated chaat section…the pani puris, the dahi bhaallas and the papdi chaat. Took the 6 pieces of mouth watering panipuris offered, served with a mini glass jar of red and green paanis. So much paani for 6 pieces? Doesn’t make sense! And just as I thought, the pani sure got wasted. Next I tried the dahi bhallas. Served one per plate, the dahi bhalla was soft but had no taste by itself. The taste was rendered by the curd and all the powders and spices added. However, the spiciness was smothered by the overtly sweet khatta meetha chutney added to it. Thumbs down for the chaat section—maybe good for people who haven’t tasted the authentic golgappas… otherwise a major let down. Couldn’t take the papadi chaat as I was almost full but didn’t want to leave without tasting the Chinese food though Chinese isn’t my favorite part of a meal. The veg noodles were done well and I enjoyed the taste though it came towards the end of my meal. The accompanying wet gravy served with onion, carrots and broccoli was a good accompaniment too. Also had biryani with raita. The raita was good but the biryani tasted as though it was only cooked rice. There really anything much to taste in it except for a paneer here and there—extremely bland in taste. Had a peep at the namkeen section and was surprised to see that they had only three varieties. I had expected many more from the famous Bikanerwaala…just some paapad and chips…really not much.
Having done with the meal, I sat down for the dessert. Hot gulab jamuns quite small in size were great in taste. Looked forward to Malpuas with great anticipation but this proved to be a major let down as it was not soft at all and was extremely sweet. I wanted to taste these two sweets made in- house…otherwise it had the usual pastries, ice cream and rasagullas served in any other restaurant in Hyderabad.If you were to ask what amongst all dishes carried the stamp of Bikanerwala, I am afraid the answer is none.
The number of waiters serving is probably not sufficient as they couldn’t quickly cater to your order. The naans that I ordered for also took some time coming, but again what’s good is that the plates are quickly cleared …no mess around on ones table.
Ambience: 3/5. Food: 3.5/ 5. Washrooms: 4/5. Priced at 265/- for buffet was a little too much, I felt.
I had been to the washrooms on my earlier visit but today I found the floor quite wet.
Saw that the time was already 2:50 pm and the movie is at 3 pm. I rushed with the desire to drive as soon as possible to the theater just about 3 kms away when suddenly the rain started through the sun was blazing. I knew that I will not make it as my driving will again be slowed by the rain. The damn rain stopped exactly ten minutes later as though only to stop my going to the movie.
While returning I saw that the entire SP road stretch which had been washed clean by the incessant rain in the morning stood innocently dry and dusty as though it hadn’t seen rain in years. Had to concede that the rain Gods won today.
Tere bin laden has no more shows from Friday...Tere bin...bin tere ghar wapas aana pada.

Today's adventure

I got up at 10: 40 am to see that there was no power supply at home. The blankets soaked overnight were left unwashed. After the early morning chores, I made uthapam for myself..three of them--by the time I was through, it was 12:10 pm already. Rushing to get ready and locking the house,  I was out of home only at 12:25 to reach the movie at Cinemax at 1pm!. I was quite troubled as I hate missing the beginning of movies.
Lack of time made me ignore the dangerously low petrol levels in the bike.
Tried driving fast but was stuck near the Mettuguda church. Had to pass two traffic signals before I could go towards the Sangeet theater road. Again HUGE traffic snarls and again had to wait for two traffic signals before turning right towards St. Ann's school. Whew! thought I ...end of traffic bottle necks...but there was again a slow moving of vehicles till I reached the first fly over. After I crossed the two fly overs, I reached the NTR statue junction where we were all made to wait for 10 minutes!!!!!!!! Damn the incompetent police. In absence of power supply, the traffic gets manually monitored which lead to even greater traffic snarls.! I had NEVER anticipated such HUGE traffic jams on a Saturday and that too at 12 30 pm...I thought that at the most I might be just a few minutes late to the movie.I came to know that these jams were because of the stupid cricket matches going on in Hyderabad.
Reached the movie a good 15 mins late!!!!!!!!grr!!!!!!! I hate it that way. 40 mins after I was properly seated, there was the interval! :(
As tho it wasn't enuf, HUGE ques at the stupid snack counter at the cinema...stood for 3 mins....got tired and went in to see that the movie had begun ! Angry at myself, I sat down to watch the rest of the movie which got over by 3: 30 pm.After "what's your rashee", this seemed like a mini movie.
Came down and peeped in at the blue fox restaurant and saw their menu card...the starters were priced at least Rs.275! Immediately ran down to the usual rhapsody and ordered chole-bhatura. Left the place, looking to buy some shoes en route. Happened to see three shoe shops together, the Loft, Bata and Mochi ...bought a white high- heeled white shoes at Mochi at Rs 1000 and started toward home after getting petrol at the HP bunk nearby.
Knew that I had to go towards Padmarao nagar, to pick up my ironed clothes. From Sangeet theater junction, instead of turning left, I went straight towards the railway station intending to go to padmarao nagar from there. I dont know where i went but realised that I wasnt going to padma rao nagar. turned back and this time again when i took a turn I realized that I was under a bridge! was I going towards tarnaka I wondered? no! i had reached the station again. Took a u-turn again and confident that I had finally caught the padmarao nagar road but after a while saw that I was passing below a bridge again! Aghast, I noticed that it was the mettuguda bridge and I was on tarnaka road. I finally gave up and reached tarnaka and home. Just near home, I felt so parched that despite the lingering throat pain, I bought myself a Sprite ....gulped it thirstily and when I went to put it in the fridge, realized that the unopened can of coke was still there. Well, tired but content...thats how I spent my day....

A day well-spent (and money too)

As planned, I set out today for the bank. I was instructed by the pea-brained call center executive that if I needed to close my FD which matured on the 3rd of April, it could be done only by visiting that particular branch. I drove all the way driving a total of 36 kms today.
I started out at around 11:45 am. Luckily, the weather was quite good after the showers on Tuesday night. When I reached the 4th fly-over on SP road, I was very pleased to see that the narrow flyover had doubled its space. The two lanes had merged into one and there was a new road running parallel which was for the incoming traffic. This gave one of the oldest flyovers in Hyderabad the much needed respite from the heavy traffic. I often used to wonder how that old bridge (it cannot be called a fly- over) could stand the load of the heavy traffic!
After crossing, there was the new Punjagutta flyover, the longest flyover in Hyderabad. I am sure that this new flyover is the Hyderabadi driver’s delight. I guess it is around 1 ½ kms and is quite empty. Driving at 60kmph in Hyderabad IS an experience by itself. At that speed, I only had to be careful on the numerous twists and turns on the long flyover. This flyover ended at the Chutneys at Punjagutta. Crossed this, still maintaining a speed of 40+ and reached the bank at Jubilee hills.
Had a very pleasant experience with the lady executive there who was quite polite and patient. There were two things: one, I had to close my FD and get it transferred to my savings account. Second, because this branch was so far from my house, I had to transfer that account to the one closer to my house. But to my dismay, I found that the account transfer is actually as good as getting a new account…not to speak of the loans whose EMIs were linked to my savings account. I also spoke to the loan accounts guy about the procedure but he wasn’t too helpful with the information. Miffed, I marched straight to the Branch Manager’s (Uday’s) room. He gave me all the required information. And when I asked him about a locker facility, he said that there was no point in having a locker at Jubilee hills which was so far from my home. He called up the Manager (Nitin) at Habsiguda branch and spoke of getting me a locker! Though the trip was actually wasted because neither did I get my FD closed nor the account transferred, what was not expected was getting a locker! I was astounded to say the least. Getting a locker in a bank in Hyderabad and that too in the heart of the city was unheard of!
I was feeling quite liberated as I had no pressure of time and therefore when I came out of the bank, I went to a second- hand, road- side book shop and got myself two books. One, ‘The three mistakes of my life’ by Chetan Bhagat; Two, ‘Blindsight’ by Robin Cook.
Bargained but didn’t get much off. Yet, Rs.150 for the two books was quite a steal. When I set out from home, I had actually thought of buying myself a white Chikan kurta. But already having spent 150, I put that plan on hold. Going to Punjagutta and not eating at Chutneys was unthinkable. But as I was returning, I eyed the KFC opposite LV Prasad eye hospital. I immediately put a brake to my scooter. I was hesitant to take the long U-turn and therefore went inside the hospital to park my scooter, crossed the road on foot and went straight to the new Cinemax to see if there were any movies. Thought of seeing a movie on the spur. But the only movie that was screened around 3 pm was 8x10 Tasveer.. .too scared to try it, I gave it a miss and went into the complex to try out the food there. When I saw KFC, I also saw a food complex separated from KFC called Rhapsody. It had 6 eateries inside and when the Chaat Bhandaar caught my eye, I gave a miss to the rest and bought myself a coupon for a Chat Combo consisting of Tikki Ragda, Dahi Puri and a Coke. Cost me Rs 106. Wasn’t anything great or special or different from a road side eatery…except perhaps the hygiene of the place.
My brother called me towards the end of the meal congratulating me on the take over of Satyam. I assured him that that’s why I was celebrating today as I don’t know if and when the next salary would come.
After this, I again set out, feeling immensely sad at giving the favorite Chutneys a miss…again back on another new flyover and the wide SP road.
I went straight past my home to go to Habsiguda branch of the bank. Saw to the left on the Tarnaka flyover and was surprised to see a BIG Bazaar! I thought Tarnaka too is wakening up to commercial prospects! Went to the Habsiguda branch and spoke about the locker brandishing Uday’s business card authoritatively as though I knew him well. It seems I am a ‘good’ customer with a good record and therefore, I am eligible for a locker. When I was skeptical if I could get a locker without an account, I was told that lockers were given based on relationships! I don’t know what relationship I had but whatever…the Habsiguda branch manager , Nitin, wasn’t there but another lady officer took my details and called me within 40 minutes to assure me that she had spoken to Nitin and that I could come on a Saturday and get my locker ! I nearly jumped with joy at this confirmation.
Meanwhile, as I came out of the branch, I saw Café Coffee Day and thought why not add to the reckless mood I was in and splurge a little more. Went in to order cold Café Frappe @ Rs 61. I don’t know how they get the exact taste of coffee which isn’t too strong or too weak with a blend of vanilla ice cream. They got it just right…not too much ice cream or coffee. With this final binge of spending, I returned home satisfied at having explored beyond my usual 5kms radius. (Yeah, one liter of petrol lasts a month for me usually…)
I don’t regret the money spent today when it gives me a good high at spending after a long time on food and books. As far as time is concerned anyways, I have plenty on hands!

Office cricket match :)

It is a Saturday but my company made it a working day to compensate for the extra day of holiday on the 26th of December.
The last week was a hectic one with a client visit..getting up early and rushing to the office!
The entire week I found myself bereft of sleep. I promised myself a good sleep on Saturday but :( what with it being declared a working day, I had no choice!
Heck! I got up earlier than usual as my office team decided to play a match against our client team ...they called it a friendly match:)

The match was set to be played at the Habsiguda ground.
I was delighted at this news, as, for the first time after I joined the current team, I didn't have far to travel.Less than 10 mins of travel took me to the ground.
Saw the men getting all so serious over the silly ball and bat game.
The match was set to start at 9:30...but it started at 10 15 am.
The match was a 20-over match and this was played in all seriousness.
Where you have the professional cricketers taking breaks after every hour or two, our pros had their breaks every 20 minutes..come back to the 'pavilion' sweating and thirsting for the soft drinks/ water..stuff themselves with food and run back to the ground.
We, the audience, were equally stuffing ourselves with food and more food from the time that we set foot on the cricket ground. It was a round of idlis, followed by hot samosas, then cream biscuits, salted ones, soft drinks, fruit juices...!
By the time the audience and the players could catch glimpses of the game, the match was over!
We hung our heads, what with a 8-run defeat.One of the junior team members sat quite heart-broken. I was quite amused to see him take the game so much to heart.
We five women team members hadn't much to do except appear joyous or dejected at appropriate times. The opposite team members were courteous enough to acknowledge our presence though. :)
By around 1 pm, we were all heaving from all the heavy stuff lying dormant in our tummies, when we were told that it was now the turn of binging on our famous Vegetable Biryani! Oh no! Not food AGAIN!
But in keeping with the team spirit , I had to keep up with the pretense of eating.
Done, I returned home and hit the sack to doze straight for 3 hours!

No U-Turn at Mayfair

I went to Mayfair opposite Anand Theater on SP road. After having finished my work there, I drove out of Mayfair. I needed to take a u-turn and go to Secunderabad station, park my vehicle there and catch the 2:00 pm MMTS local to office. When I tried to take the immediate u-turn, I was shooed away by the police who asked me to take the next turn. I kept driving knowing that I could now take a right and then a u-turn at the Circle. But when I sought to turn, I found myself against a barricade put up. I was stunned at this unexpected barrier and kept to the right of the road hoping to find some breech of road where I could take a u-turn. I went on and suddenly found myself nearing a flyover. What do I do now? Getting on to the flyover means at least another 1-1 1/2 kms. Desperate, I sought to do the unthinkable…take a u-turn on the flyover and go back...never have I done this before. Even when I was contemplating this daring step, I saw a rash motorcyclist getting too close to a car and getting knocked off on the road...going tumbling down...his helmet rolling away…probably he hadn’t fixed it properly. Seeing that, I was scared shitless and drove straight on… and reached Satyam City Center! I was aghast. I had reached from Mayfair to Begumpet in my endeavor to take a u-turn. Having no other option and knowing that I would miss my train if I now try to go back to Secunderbad, I drove on…asked the police about how to reach the Begumpet station & parked my vehicle there to board the train. I found that the parking rates at Begumpet were the highest amongst all the stations.
Having no other option, I waited there for an hour as the train was late by 25 minutes…wilting away with tiredness…cursing the Hyderabad roads. If the roads were clear, I could have easily gone back to Secunderabad station but as I was not sure of reaching on time through Hyderabad traffic, I chose to remain at Begumpet.
This is to caution everyone who seeks a u-turn at Mayfair.
In the evening I got down at Begumpet station dreading the traffic on my way back home. Surprisingly, I reached home at the same time from Begumpet as I would if I was going by train to Sitaphalmandi!
Later I realized that I had negotiated a long distance from Lingamaplli to Begumpet in 30 minutes flat..after which the train would normally get stuck and this little distance from Begumpwt to Secunderabad takes half hour. I reached home by 10:20 pm as though I had come by train. Drove from Begumpet to Secunderabad-Taranaka road in 10 mins flat…even with my slow driving…and got stuck on Secunderabad-Taranaka road. I reached home, slept at 1:30am and feel so sleepy in the office today.
For the first time, I have work but am unable to do ...7:30 pm now. I want to go home…yawn!

Fake notes

As I was traveling to work, I was stunned to find a lady of about 35 years sitting at the road-side burning a bundle of new 100 ruppee notes!
I stopped my bike, staring at her and wondering if I was watching a mad woman!
I asked her why was she doing that. Her reply stunned me further. She says that it was a bundle of fake notes! I asked where she had found that. She said that she had found the bundle in the dust bin while foraging. I don't know whether this was the truth but this fluke peep into the crime world left me quite a bit shaken!